1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to wind-powered machines, and particularly to methods and apparatus for reducing the friction forces involved in the operation of such machines.
2. Prior Art and other Considerations
U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,593 to Willmouth shows an embodiment of a wind-powered machine comprising a drive shaft which rotates about a vertical axis under the influence of wind impinging on cup impellers connected to the drive shaft by a frame. An armature or rotor of a generator has a gear keyed thereto to mesh with a gear keyed to the drive shaft. The rotor is supported radially by ball bearings and vertically by an end bearing. The end bearing comprises a hardened tungsten steel point which may be rounded slightly and a hardened tungsten steel block upon which the point rests. Alternate embodiments of the end bearing are also provided. While the structures of U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,593 significantly decrease the friction and resistance between the armature rotor and the mainbearings which support the rotor, the advantages of the present invention have not heretofore been realized.